Jones, 23, arrived at Bushfield Recreation Reserve hoping to cement a spot in the senior team.

But he's found the benefits have stretched beyond the boundary line.

"When I first came over I fit in so well. You have Tom Batten and these older fellas who set the standard of the player you need to be but also as a person," he said.

"I am starting to see good things come out of myself being around people like that at the club."

Jones, whose partner Ella Grundy plays netball for the Eagles, worked at the Portland smelter and then moved to Warrnambool for a plumbing apprenticeship with Southern Victorian Plumbing.

He previously played for the Tigers - a team he could face in the Hampden league finals series if stars align - and has taken on a different role at the Eagles.

"At Portland I played in the midfield and when I came to North Warrnambool, Adam Dowie wanted me to play as a high half-forward which I hadn't spent too much time doing," Jones said.

"Last year I learned a lot and this year I have noticed I've gotten used to the role and am really enjoying it, with pressure and the ability to run up the ground and get back as well. It's just a massive fitness-based role."

Jones, who admits he'd rather not play against his good friends at Portland in the race for the premiership, will play in Saturday's second semi-final against Koroit at Friendly Societies' Park.

It comes after the Eagles secured an extra time qualifying final win against South Warrnambool.

"It was a pretty hard day on the body," Jones said.

"It was my first senior final so it was a pretty full-on feeling before the game - when I was running out there, it was just exciting as.

"I was relieved (to win) because we sort of let them back into it and it got a bit scary there for a second."

Jones, who is grateful for small forward Jarryd Lewis and captain Adam Wines' support, is wary about the Saints, considering by most pundits to be the premiership favourite.

"It is a massive game. I am very confident in our side but we have to turn up on the day to play our best football otherwise it's not going to happen," he said.

"We have to come with the right mindset and the game plan we've been going through."

North Warrnambool is yet to win a senior flag since joining the competition in 1997.

Jones hopes this year's team can change that.

"It is an exciting time for me and I am loving it at North Warrnambool and could see how much a grand final would mean to a lot of people around there," he said.

"It would be good, if we do take it the whole way, just to see the smiles on those people's faces."

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